Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection

Kamuela, Hawaii

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By Roger Cox, Editor

When the Mauna Lani first opend, it thoroughly revised the very definition of a great Hawaiian resort. Instead of the usual lobby, it has a soaring atrium with walls of windows on the Hawaiian coastalscape to the north and south. Shallow ponds filled with tropical fish began outdoors near the swimming pool and extended into the atrium, passing through an indoor garden of swaybacked palms, flowering shrubs, and plashing waterfalls, before continuing out the other side. Now Auberge Resorts has taken over, thoroughly upgrading the lodging and public areas while continuing the focus on Hawaiian culture.

Guests eager for tennis hop a free shuttle or takea five-minute walk to the six-court Mauna Lani Racquet and Sports Club adjacent to the Mauna Lani Spa. Cliff Drysdale Tennis manages the programs and has installed Matt Dudley, An Australian who competed on the International Tennis Federation pro circuit. Prior to coming to Mauna Lani, he directed the adult program at Omni La Costa in California. Here, he's offering adult and junior programs, cardio tennis, and pickleball and serves not only guests of the Mauna Lani but also visitors and locals. The courts, painted in U.S. Open blue, are well spaced with oleander hedges serving as windbreaks and trellised patios providing courtside shade.

If you are a hotel guest, the well-equipped fitness center overlooking the sunken clubhouse court is accessible to you without charge. And the other reason to come is the Mauna Lani Spa, an eco-conscious retreat with thatched-roof hales (little huts) for massages, outdoor lava-rock saunas, and a Watsu pool, among other amenities.

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Ratings (26 Reviewers)
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General Tourist Information. For information about the resorts along this corridor, visit the Kohala Coast Resort Association website or the Big Island Visitors Bureau website or contact them at 68-1330 Mauna Lani Dr., Ste. 109B, Kohala Coast, HI 96743. Phone: 800-648-2441. Or for information about Hawaii as a whole, visit the Hawaii Visitors Bureau website or contact them at 2270 Kalakaua Ave., Suite 801, Honolulu, HI 96815. Phone: 800-464-2924.